Anglo-Catholics and the Ordination of Women: Some Unanswered Questions

Abstract

Within the subset of Anglicanism known as Anglo-Catholicism, the theological debate over women’s ordination to the priesthood has focused on two categories of argument: the tradition of the church, and the symbolism of the priesthood. These, however, are subject to conflicting interpretations. Some seek to continue the received practice of an all-male priesthood, and explain it by reference to symbolic arguments, often Christological in nature. Others, however, argue for a development of egalitarian precedents in the New Testament to address the perceived exclusion of women from the church. This article analyses the debate between these positions both through close criticism of the main arguments, and through a broader structural evaluation of the debate as a whole. This analysis indicates unanswered questions of Christology, anthropology, and development, which are essential to the progress of the debate and the integrity of both positions.